The 4th Food Chemistry Conference, organised by Elsevier under the theme “Reshaping Global Food Systems”, took place at the Hilton Glasgow, Scotland (14-16th October 2025), bringing together an international audience of academics, government scientists, IT specialists, and industry representatives —reflecting the broad reach of food-chemistry research and its applications.

The conference offered a rich programme of keynote and plenary talks, parallel oral sessions with invited and short talks, and poster sessions, all presenting different and diverse aspects of food chemistry through innovation, sustainability and digital technologies. Speakers explored advanced processing techniques aimed at enhancing food quality, as well as strategies for valorising food co-products and waste with environmental and economic impacts of sustainable practices being considered in parallel with research. Highlights included non‐thermal processing innovations, fermentation/germination/extrusion of under-used materials, and circular economy approaches to re-use food side streams. These sessions underscored how processing is no longer simply about transformation of food— but rather about boosting value, reducing waste and embedding sustainability in the supply-chain.

As usual, a prominent theme revolved around composition, functionality and health-relevance of nutrients and bioactive compounds. Investigations ranged from allergen identification and management to how consumer sensory attributes and perception intersect with composition. In this domain, several studies presented sophisticated compositional analyses of novel ingredients, emerging bioactives and their interaction within food matrices, and human health contexts. The links between composition—particularly lesser-studied compounds—and consumer outcomes or safety was a strong narrative.

The conference also gave strong emphasis to methodologies that support more sustainable food chemistry: green and rapid analytical methods, smart and sustainable packaging innovations, and studies of how processing affects component stability, bioaccessibility and bioavailability. These sessions invited delegates to rethink not only what we analyse, but how we analyse it with lower environmental footprints, more rapid throughput, and improved insights into food functionality and their metabolic fate.

Reflecting the growing digitalisation of food science, talks also addressed the application of big data, simulation/modelling, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in food innovation, safety, quality and processing. Here, delegates heard about how data-driven approaches are accelerating discovery of bioactives, tracing food-supply chains, predicting consumer behaviour, and optimising food processes. The message was clear: to reshape global food systems, digital tools are becoming indispensable.

Complementing the oral tracks, the poster sessions covered topics such as up-cycling food waste into value-added products; innovations in biodegradable and edible packaging; smart packaging for food quality and safety; big-data analytics in food safety and quality control; and AI/ML applications in food innovation. These sessions often for the basis for networking alongside the gala dinner in Glasgow’s historic City Chambers, facilitating informal exchange amongst researchers, industry delegates and data specialists.

The breadth of the scientific agenda underscored how food chemistry is evolving—from traditional compositional and processing studies into a more integrated, systems-oriented discipline. The intersection of composition, processing, analytics, sustainability, and digitalisation featured strongly throughout the event. This was exemplified in the closing keynote by Dr Siân Astley (EuroFIR AISBL), who presented the European Food Composition Database (EU FCDB) initiative—an open-access, harmonised data infrastructure designed to support science-based nutrition policy and innovation. Her talk captured many of the conference’s defining themes: transparency, collaboration, and the power of shared, FAIR data to advance research and public health. The conference also marked a moment of transition for the community, as Paul Finglas, EuroFIR’s Director of Research & Innovation, was recognised on his retirement as Editor-in-Chief of Food Chemistry after nearly a decade of leadership. His editorial legacy—centred on scientific rigour, mentoring, and international collaboration—mirrored the spirit of the conference.